Keon Ellis is already embracing a leadership role with the Brooklyn Nets. In his first media availability since signing with Brooklyn, the veteran guard opened up about reuniting with Jordi Fernández, mentoring the team's young core, and the mindset he'll bring this season.
The Brooklyn Nets entered free agency looking to add experienced players who fit the culture Jordi Fernández has spent the last year building. Few additions checked those boxes better than Keon Ellis.
Fresh off signing a two-year, $18 million contract with Brooklyn, Ellis spoke to the media for the first time as a Net during NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, offering insight into why he chose Brooklyn, his relationship with Fernández and the unexpected leadership role he'll take on with one of the NBA's youngest rosters.
For Ellis, reuniting with Fernández was one of the biggest reasons the Nets quickly separated themselves from the rest of the field in free agency.
"I mean, a good bit," Ellis said when asked how much Fernández influenced his decision. "From what I heard, he was pulling for me really hard. I just know the way he coaches. He's very passionate, he's about the right things and wants to win. The familiarity was definitely good."
The two first crossed paths in Sacramento, where Fernández served as an assistant coach during Ellis' early years with the Kings. Ellis said hearing similar praise from former teammate Dennis Schröder, who played under Fernández in Brooklyn last season, only reinforced what he already knew.
"Even when I was playing with Dennis, when we got him, he was saying he loves Jordi as a coach too. For other guys to be saying the same things, you just know he's about the right things."
While Brooklyn clearly made Ellis a priority in free agency, basketball wasn't the only factor in his decision. He said the organization's commitment, familiar faces on the coaching staff and the opportunity ahead all made the choice feel like the right one.
"I think with how much they wanted me," Ellis said. "Other teams were offering, but with how much they were offering as well, that kind of speaks to how much the team wants you. Then obviously you've got some guys on the staff you've been with before, so you know the ropes a little bit, and then the opportunity here as well. When you combine all those things, I think they just lined up."
Although Ellis has already spent time around the team during Summer League, the Nets haven't begun discussing exactly where he'll fit in the rotation. Instead, the first few days have been about getting comfortable with his new organization and building relationships with teammates.
"We haven't really tapped into any conversations just yet," Ellis said. "It's just been about getting together, seeing the guys, meeting everyone and trying to get comfortable."
That approach makes sense for both sides. Summer League offers veterans a chance to familiarize themselves with a new organization long before training camp begins, giving players time to settle in before conversations shift toward rotations and expectations.
One thing Ellis has already noticed is the way Brooklyn's young players have approached Summer League.
"I'm definitely enjoying watching the young guys," Ellis said. "They're playing hard. They're playing the right way. I think that's the biggest takeaway that I've had from watching."
His praise goes beyond wins and losses. Throughout Summer League, the Nets emphasized ball movement, defensive effort and unselfish play, characteristics Fernández has stressed since arriving in Brooklyn. Ellis repeatedly referenced those same qualities when describing what stood out to him.
Among the players who impressed him most was sixth overall pick Mikel Brown Jr.
"Obviously he can score the ball," Ellis said. "But I think the reads he's been making are what separate him. In Summer League, where you can kind of take any shot you want, him making the right passes and the right reads, getting to the right spots, I've loved seeing that."
Perhaps the most interesting part of Ellis' introduction came when discussing his place within Brooklyn's locker room.
At just 26 years old, Ellis suddenly finds himself as one of the older players on the roster. After spending his first few NBA seasons fighting for minutes as an undrafted guard, he'll now be counted on to help guide a young core featuring recent lottery picks and second-year players.
Ellis said Fernández made that expectation clear during their first conversation.
"When my first phone call with Jordi, he told me he was going to look at me to help the younger guys," Ellis said. "He knows my path and how I got to the NBA, so just teach them the right things and what it takes."
It's a role that fits Ellis' journey. After going undrafted in 2022, he earned his way onto an NBA roster through the G League before developing into one of the league's better perimeter defenders. His path wasn't built on pedigree but on consistency, effort and making the most of every opportunity—exactly the example Brooklyn hopes its younger players can follow.
Ellis also believes consistency is the key to getting back to his own best basketball.
During his breakout 2024-25 campaign, he emerged as one of the NBA's most efficient two-way role players, combining elite three-point shooting with disruptive perimeter defense. Injuries and an inconsistent role prevented him from building on that success last season, something he acknowledged when discussing what comes next.
"I think just the consistency and an established role," Ellis said. "A lot of things were up and down with moving parts, and you never really knew what was going on. The consistency really helped that year because you kind of knew what it was going in."
Brooklyn doesn't need Ellis to become a primary scorer. Instead, the Nets signed him to strengthen one of the team's biggest weaknesses from last season: point-of-attack defense.
Asked how he plans to impact that end of the floor, Ellis focused less on individual accolades and more on setting the tone.
"I go out there and just try to make it tough on guys," Ellis said. "You're playing against the best players in the world. They're going to score, but I think it's about the mindset every night, trying to do the right things, be in the right spots and attack the game plan."
"I'm more of a lead-by-example kind of guy. Me going in and playing hard motivates the next guy to go just as hard."
That mentality has become one of Ellis' defining traits throughout his career and is likely one of the biggest reasons Brooklyn targeted him in free agency. The Nets have consistently emphasized effort, defense and player development under Fernández, making Ellis a natural fit for the identity they're trying to establish.
When asked what Nets fans should expect from him this season, Ellis kept his answer simple.
"I'm going to play hard every night. Play hard, win with effort. That's just what I'm built on, and I'm just trying to win."
Away from basketball, Ellis admitted his biggest adjustment has already arrived before training camp.
"Trying to find a house is tough," Ellis said with a laugh. "I'm going to have to sacrifice some space for the prices."
Still, he's looking forward to exploring the city once he gets settled.
"I'm excited to walk around the city, hit different spots and all the restaurants. I heard there's a lot of good food and a lot of things to do."
Ellis' first media availability as a Net was met with an overwhelmingly positive response from fans online. Many called him one of Brooklyn's most underrated offseason additions, pointing to his defensive reputation, relentless effort and team-first mentality. Others debated where he'll fit in the rotation, with some believing he could eventually compete for a starting spot while most viewed him as an ideal complementary piece in Fernández's system.
Training camp will ultimately determine Ellis' role, but his first week with the organization made one thing clear: Brooklyn didn't just add another rotation player. The Nets brought in someone Fernández already trusts, someone capable of raising the team's defensive floor and someone whose path to the NBA gives him credibility with a locker room full of young players trying to establish themselves. If Brooklyn's rebuild is built on culture as much as talent, Ellis looks like exactly the kind of player the organization wanted to add.
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